The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1887-04-27
HONEST THRIFT
THE THEME OF DR.. TALMAGE'S SUN
DAY MORNING SERMON.

this morning. the pastor, Rev. T. Dewitt
Talmage d. D.. read from the Book of Pro
verbs some lessons about honest thrift He
then gave out the hymn beginning:
The strife will not be long
This day the noise of battle
The next the victor's song.
The boy choir chanted an opening and clos
ing selection DR. Talmage's discourse was
entitled Behind the Counter; or, Trials
and Encouragenents Of Statesmen and Sales
women tie took the two following passages
as his text: And a certain woman named
Lydia, a seller Of purple, Of the city of Thy
atira which worshiped God, heard us; whose
heart the Lord opened. Acts xvi, IA. %Seest
thou man diligent in his business, he shall
stand before kings Proverbs xxi, % The
preacher said:
The first passage introduces TO you Lydia,
a Christian merchantess. Her business is to
deal in purple cloths or silks she is not a
giggling nonenity, but a practical woman,
not ashamed 10 work for her living. All the
other women of Philippi and Thy stira have
been forgotten, but God has made immortal
in our text Lydia. the Christian saleswoman
The other text shows you man with head
and hand and heart and foot all busy toiling
on up until he gains a princely success.
"Seest thou "A man diligent In business, be
shall stand before kings Great encourage
ment in these two passages for men and
women who will be busy, but no solace for
those who are waiting for good luck TO show
them, at the foot Of the rainbow, casket Of
buried gold. 1t is folly for anybody in this
world 30 wat for something 10 turn up. It
will turn down. The law Of thrift is as mex
orable as the law Of the tides. Fortune, the
magician, may wave her arm in that direc-
nj Int cha
will, after while, invert the same wand, and
all the splendors viii vanish into thin air.
There are certain styles Of behavior which
lead TO usefulness, honor and permanent sue
cess, and there are certain styles of behavior
which lead 10 dust, dishonor and moral de
fault I would like TO fire the ambition OF
young people. have no sympathy with
those who would prepare young folks for life
by whiting down their expectations That
man or woman VIII be worth nothing to
church or state who begins life cowed down.
The business of Christianity is not TO quenck
but to direct human ambition. Therefore it
Is that | come out this morning and utter
words OF encouragement 30 those who are oc-
cuped as clerks In the stores and shops and
banking houses Of the country You say:
"Why select one class, and talk to one
specially this morning27 For the same
of "A hospital and throw in a hushel of pre-
scriptons. saying: "Come, now, and get
your medicine He first feels the pulse,
watches the symptoms and then prescribes
for that particular case. So to-day | must
he specific The people in this audience who
are clerks are not an exceptional class. They
belong 10 a great company Of tens % thou
sands who are in this country amid circum-
stances which will either make or break
them for time and for eternity. l should be
very slow TO acknowledge that the clerks,
male and female of other cities, are any
more honest or faithful than the clerks of our
own city Many Of these people have already
achieved "A Christian manliness and Chris
tian womanliness which will be their pass
port 20 any position. | have seen their trials
l have watched their perplexities. There are
evils abroad which need TO be hunted down,
and dragged out into the monday light
In the first place ! counsel clerks to re-
member that for the most part their clerk
ship is only a school from which they are to
be graduated. 1t takes about eight years to
get one of the learned professions. 1t takes
about eight years TO get to he a merchant.
Some of you will be clerks all your lives, but
the vast majority of you are only in tran
silent position. After while, some Deem
Der day the head men of the firm will call
you into the back office, and they will say to
you: snow you have done well by US; we
are going to do well by you. We invite you
10 have an interest in our concern You
will bow 10 that edict very gracefully. Get
ting into a street car to go home an old COM
Tade will meet you and say: "What makes
you look so happy tonight" "Oh," you will
say nothing, nothing But i'll few days
your name will blossom on the sign. Either
some other store or bank, you will take a
higher position than that which you now oc-
cupy. So feel to-day that | am standing
before people who will yet have their hand
ON the helm of the worlds commerce, and
you viii turn it this way or that; now
clerks, but to be bankers importers, in
surance company directors, shippers, con
tractors superintendent of railroads-your
voice mighty "on 'Change"-standing fore
most in the great financial and re
ligious enterprises of the day For
though we who are in the professions may
on the platform, plead for the philanthropies
after all the merchants must come forth with
their millions TO sustain the movement Be
therefore, patient and diligent i'll this tran
sient position. You are now where you can
learn things you can never learn in any Other
place. What YOU consider your disadvan
y
an affluent father some day come down on 6
prominent street with his son, who has just
graduated from the university, and estab
fishing him in business putting 100000 Of
capital in the store Well, you are envious
You say, "Oh, if only had a chance like that
young man--if only had a father to put 500,
900 in business for me, then / would have
some chance III the world" Be not envioas
You have advantages over that young mar
which he has not over you. As well might
come down TO the docks when a vessel i.
about to sail for Valparaiso and say, Lei
me pilot this ship out of the Narrows' Why
would sink crew and cargo before | got ou;
of the har hor, simply because know nothing
about pilotage. Wealthy sea captains put
their sons before the mast for the reason thai
they know it is the only place where they car
learn to be successful sailors 1t is only under
drill that people get to understand pilotag,
and navigation, and / want you to under
stand that it takes no more skill to conduct
vessel out of the harbor and across the Sea
than to steer a commercial establishment cleal
of the rocks You see every day the folly Of
people going into a business they know
nothing about A man makes fortune il
one busisess thinks there is another occu
patton more comfortable, goes into it and
sinks all
Many of the commercial establishments Of
our cities are giving to their clerks mercan
tile education as thorough as Yale or Harry
ard or Princeton are giving scientific attain
ment to the students matriculated. The rea
son there are many men laundering il
business from year to year is because theil
early mercantile education was neglected.
Ask these men high in commercial circles
and they will tell you they thank God fol
this severe discipline of their early clerkship
You can afford to endure the wilderness
march if it is going to end in the vineyard,
and orchards of the promised land But you
say: "Will the womanly clerks in our store.
have promotion!" Yes Time is coming
when women will be as well paid for theil
toll in mercantile circles as men are now paid
for their toll. Time Is coming when a woman
viii be allowed to do anything she can &c
well. 1t is only a little while ago wher
women knew nothing of telegraphy. and they
were kept out of great many commercial
circles where they are now welcome; and tht
time will go on until the woman who at one
counter in store sells $4,000 worth of goods
in year viii get as high salary as the man
who at the other counter of the same store
sells $4,000 worth of goods All honor to
Lydia, the Christian saleswoman. And in
passing. i may as well say that you mer-
chants who have female clerks in your stores
ought TO treat them with great courtesy and
kindness When they are not positively en-
gagged, let them sit down. In England and
the United States physicians have protested
against the habit OF compelling the womanly
clerks In the stores TO stand Therefore, /
add to the protest of physicians the protest of
the Christian church, and in the name of
good health, and that God who has made the
womanly constitution more delicate than
mans, l demand that you let her sit down
The second counsel / have to give to the
clerks who are here to-day is that You seek
out what are the lawful regulations of your
establishment, and then submit to them.
Every wei ordered house has its usages. In
military life, on ships deck, in commercial
life. there must he nrriar. ard ca;...i.,1:...